Bankoh opposes Roundtable's stance on civil unions bill

Bank of Hawaii, a member of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, has sent a message to Gov. Linda Lingle disagreeing with the Roundtable's request that the governor veto a civil-unions bill.

Al Landon, the bank's president and chief executive officer, told Equality Hawaii that administrative challenges resulting from the bill becoming law are manageable and could be addressed by the state Legislature in future sessions.

"As a general rule, Bank of Hawaii does not take policy positions on issues not directly affecting the banking industry, although our employees are encouraged to express their individual views on issues," Landon told Equality Hawaii. "As an organization, Bank of Hawaii supports workforce diversity and fair treatment of all individuals. We have offered domestic partner benefits since 1998."

Several members of the Roundtable have distanced themselves from the group's call for a veto. The group clarified last week that it has not taken a position on civil unions and was only concerned about the administrative challenges of implementing the bill.

Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties, another Roundtable member, released a statement saying it was "completely uninvolved" with developing the Roundtable's veto request and does not agree with the move.

"Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties strongly supports equal rights, and we provide benefits to our employees and agents who enter into a domestic partnership by extending benefits to those partners that meet the eligibility requirements," the company said.